Dear friends and members of WSDC,
As you may know, the structure of WSDC Ltd. was discussed in the charity e-AGM in November, 2014. At that time the Directors started to solicit volunteers from the WSDC community who could review the current structure and propose next steps. We had some interest for which we are very grateful. To continue, here is where we are now:
- Back in 2008, as WSDC grew ever larger and more professional, the community thought that having a formal body to oversee hosts and develop the alumni network would be a good idea.
- It hasn’t worked out. WSDC is run on a volunteer model, and while this is working better when it comes to actually running the tournament, the model falls short of our needs in administration. A case in point would be the Development Committee, which was supposed to carry out the charity’s aims as guided by the Board, but did not fulfill this role and was disbanded. We have also had volunteers elected to our administrative bodies who find they are unable to give the role the time it deserves, overburdening those who are working.
- The question is, do we just shut it down or would something else work better?
- If we shut it down, then do we go back to the previous (Exec-only) model?
- If we shut it down, do we really want a series of million dollar tournaments in future with no quality control? Do you think we shouldn’t bother connecting with alumni in any way? Who will pay for the website, or should we shut it down too?
- In the event that money remains in the charity after covering the costs of winding up, what should be done with that money?
- If we don’t shut the charity down, then what do we do? Can we evolve the structure? Should we introduce incentives for volunteers, as well as checks and balances to ensure responsibilities are fulfilled post-election?
The first step in this discussion is to include EVERYONE who is or has been part of the WSDC community. So we ask you to please circulate this email to anyone you used to debate with, and ask them to sign up to the alumni mailing list at https://v2.schoolsdebate.com/contact/mailing.
The next step is to get an understanding of why the community voted for this structure. We have summarized the evolution of WSDC at https://v2.schoolsdebate.com/organisation/wsdc-ltd/ in a clear and succinct (and as short as possible) way. Please take a few minutes to read it.
We will follow up with another call for discussion in a week, and then set up a forum if there is demand. If not, we will propose winding up the charity.
For any questions or suggestions, please email us at [email protected].
Best regards,
The Board of Directors.
P.S. PLEASE NOTE: While this review process is underway, the Board of Directors has decided to freeze membership applications and renewals. If you are an active member, you will not be rebilled automatically when your current membership expires. Your membership will be extended until the next AGM where you will be allowed to vote on the future of WSDC Ltd. New membership applications will be temporarily disabled but we will allow one round of new applications before the next AGM.